Is your website ready for the EU Cookie Law?

The EU Cookie Law came in to effect in 2011 but the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) decided it was fair to give website owners one year to find solutions and implement the rules. The deadline for implementation is the 26TH of May 2012; After this date, websites which do not comply with the law could be fined up to a whopping £500,000.00 – Ouch!!

In simple terms, the new rules require websites to get permission from their visitors before placing any cookies on their computers. Permission must be informed and CLEARLY sought, which means you have to ask visitors outright if you can put cookies on their computer, and explain clearly what the cookies are used for. No simple task !

You are NOT allowed to hide the information in your website’s Privacy Policy and hope that website visitors will read them and then take action by editing cookies on their website browser. As you know most people don’t even know what cookies are or what they do.

The only exceptions to this are cookies deemed essential to providing functions visitors have asked for. But you can’t rely on this to cover many of your cookies. Please read our full and complete Cookie Law Guidance notes here. Better be safe than sorry.

If you have Google tracking code or Social Sharing tools on your website, then you have third party cookies on your website and you must ask the visitor for their permission to place them on their computer and give them the opportunity to accept or decline them.

Is your website ready for the EU Cookie Law. It really does get serious on the 26th of May 2012. EU Cooke Law Plugin Availiable.

Mick Say is an Online Business Development and Online Marketing Consultant. Mick's goal is to help businesses to develop meaningful On-line Marketing Strategies via Websites designed to inform and sell.

There is a spelling error in the little popup on this page that indicates that this site complies with the EU Cookie “Regultaions”… I know that this is a small issue compared to the topic at hand, but I felt the need to point that out.

They can pass all the laws they want but as an American company who doesn’t do business in the EU or with the EU I have no obligation to follow the law nor am I responsible for when a EU resident visits my web site. I’d love to see them attempt to levy a fine on me for that one!

This reminds me of the scam that various US states tried back in the 80’s… they all passed laws requiring companies to collect sales tax on all products sold to residents of their respective states, even if you didnt have a facility in that state. They would send out audit notices, demand for payment etc. in an attempt to get one company to set a legal precedence by paying. When no one paid, it eventually got pushed to the courts where it was overturned.

In the case of the EU and website owners in the EU, this law puts you at an unfair disadvantage because it cripples features and functionality that makes your sites as easy to use as, say mine which has cookies. i’m pretty certain there are laws protecting you from that.

Of course the entire purpose of this law is to protect consumers from ad-tracking cookies… and I do believe it should be illegal for advertisers to track sites that I visit… it is an envasion of my privacy.

Well I guess they’ll have to revoke this law, since it’s practically impossible for the internet to do that. if they enforce it actively, than there will be massive fines everywhere to fund the broke EU central bank and to push the agenda of invasion of privacy by governments and censorship of the internet.

I’m with you – I wish they would revoke it – but I am afraid that will not happen. Red tape dreamed up by people who simply do not understand the internet and possibly have too much time on their hands – Complete madness…. But its the law…

Far easier to get Microsoft, Google, Yahoo and the other browsers to develop easier to use and understand cookie management into the browsers.

I have over 100 websites – and they all have cookies. Also need to manage all of my client websites as well. Not good, not happy, but I, like you have to comply…

I hope you are well. Moving a website which currently resides on a server in Europe is intended for a European Audience, so moving such a website to a server outside of the EU would not be a good idea for three reasons.

1. Please bear in mind that I am not a lawyer or an EU commissioner, so don’t take my words as gospel.. But The way that I interpret the law is if your website is intended to reach an EU audience then you must cater to the law in that region. Please read the whole article on EU Cookie law here and make an informed decision.

2. It’s not difficult to comply with the law. I think my EU Cookie Law solution is quite good and un obtrusive and it’s easy and cheap to implement. Much easier and cheaper than migrating an entire website to a server outside the EU.

3. I Think that on this occasion the Law is an ass – but I am a law abiding person – so I have to comply with the law and I recommend all European website owners do the same.